Washing machine drain-valve mechanism



Oct. 29, 1929. c, oss 1,733,672

WASHING MACHINE DRAIN VALVE MECHANISM Filed July 19. 1926 INVENTOR. To/m 6. 20%

having means by which the necessary seating point of the machine;

Patented Oct. 29, 1929 [john o. noss, or, sAirrRANoisoo, oatn onma wAsiirNG MA IIINE DRAIIFVALVE MEGHANiSM i 1"App1ieation filedJuly 19,

a minimum numberof parts. v 5 A'further object of the invention is to pro vide a mechanism ofthe character described pressure ofthevalve may be easily produced notwithstanding the fact that the valve itself may be located 'at'some relatively inaccessible The 'invention jpossesses other'objeets and features of advantagefsome of which, with the for'eg'oingflvill beset forth in the follow: ing descriptionoffthe preferred form of my invention which is illustratedifin"the drawings accompanying and forming part-of Lthe specificationi It is to be 'understood," however, that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the "said 'draflv'vings and' descrip? tion, as I may adopt variationsof'the EPI'G- ferred form Within, the sco ed iny invention as setforth in thclaimsifi "Referring tosaid drawings, i 1 a a I Figure lis a perspective view of the outer casing bf a Wasl1ing"machine* having the drain me chanism 'o f my invention installed fli -god Y x= in Figure 2 is an enclviewof the' washing ma:

, chine shovvin g' ithe" valve epemting mechai M i; mlmhl a; M," i Q 3" {'Figiir 3 9 is :a"fragmentary transverse sec; tional view oft-he machine taken through the 'I'n draining" the fluid tanks of washing machines, it is particularly"desirable that the fluid beallowed to escape quickly "and freely so that the rush of escaping fluid will carry thevarious, solids,' fsuch asdirtand' lint, With andftherebyfleave the tank as' cleanflasjpossible; lFurthermorefsuch valves should be of simplestru ctuieand are desir- 1926. Serial up; 123,517:

ably opened or closed w-ithfa minimum of i timea nd'effort on the part of an operator.

The'present invention, it will now be noted,

is particularly designedto satisfy the foregoing requirernents and is of such design that :1

it may be applied to variousftypes of'tanks with equal readiness. I

' [The valve mechanism of my invention is heres'hown operatively associated With a I Washing machine4 of the rotary cylinder 3 type :having the "axis of the cylinder and tank fhorizjontal, As illustrated,*-the fluid tankhf is shown mounted on supports 6 provided with; legs 7, the tank being provided 'With' arcircumferentially clisplaceable cover 8 whereby access to the interior thereof is permitted.]

2-' Preferably positioned at the lowest i of the ta-nk'in operative'relation to a sub stantiallyrectangular drain outlet 9' provided thereinfis a valvell As here shown,

e alve 11 comprisesa seat 1510,01: 1 secured to the tank and a platel3arranged to pro- -vide'a'elosure for" the valve'blockport 14, the latter I being preferably "of uniform" section throughoutits lengthy" Journalled in thegarm 17fat fa 'side 'of'the' port 14,;and

preferably extending parallel to the tank I I axis, is a f shaft 16 'such' shaft having the arm 17 adjustably setthereon and tothe free extremity of which the plate'f'13 is pivotally 1 seciired by means of {a loose pin '15} in such 'inannerfasfto permit a slight pivotal move.-

ment of the'plate about an axis'parallel'to t the shaft axis, Provided in the seat engaggr ove 18 l is positioned a gasket 19 preferably formed of resilient mat-erialfit nowbe ingnoted th nth s at21 of the block hingej pin; for the'gclosure plate 13 and that I the axis ofthe shaft ispreferabIy coplanar With thefp'la nefofthejseat closin plate13 when the valve closed to prOvi a liquid f In this 'rnanner, the final valve; I

p'ositionin Inovementof the arm 17 involves a "mini-mum of transversemovement of the *hle 27jthereof will be accessible from the gasket across the seat and the pressure against the gasket is entirely perpendicular thereto.

It will now be clear that the closing and opening of the valve provided may be effected 'upon the appropriate rotation of the shaft 'tremity 22 is a pedal lever 23, which lever is preferably so positioned on the shaft as to be substantially horizontally disposed when the valve is closedso that a closure pressure may be exerted on the valve with a high degree of mechanical advantage.

, Means are pro'vided for holding the valve closed after the primary closing thereof by means of the pedal. Removably set on the shaft end 22 is a second lever 24, such lever being generally oppositely disposed with respeot to the pedal leverg23. Pivotally" secured to the extremity of the lever 24 for limited movement in the plane of movement thereof is a rod26, suchrod being convenient- 1y provided at its free extremity witha handle 27 z The rod 26 iS- preferably guided for reciprocation generallylongitudinally of itself in a direction extendingupwardly and forwardly of its pivot point, sothat the banfront sideof the tank. Guidance of the rod in itsvarious positions, is effected by means ofv cooperating guide members 28 and 29, such members being here shown fixedon the sup port 6 forwardly rearwardlyirespeetive ly of the rod, the member 28 bei-ng provided with rearward extension 31 whereby the movement of the rod may be confined to the plane of movement of the lever 24;

It will now-be noted that whenthe valve 'isjclosed, the rod26 will have been raised to its uppermost position, so that fixing the rod in such position will operate to hold the valve plateseated. Meansaretherefore provided for releasably securing therod in such position, and as here shown such means comprisesthe provisionof a stop 32 onthe rod arrangedtobea'r on the upper face 33 of the uide members29 when the valve is closed.

is here disclosed, the step 32 is inthe form ofairing encircling the manna the guide member 29 is notched from its forward edge to receive the rod so that acomparatively large partjofthe lower face area of the ring stop 32 may seat on the fface 33,

I Setting or the vaive in; closed ossum will nowbe noted, is efiected by depressing the foot lever to close the'val've slightly more tightly than necessary, at which time the stop 32 is above and forwardly of the face 33, swinging the rod rearwardly about its pivotal connection to the lever 24 to a position above the face 33, and then releasing the foot lever to permit the stop toseat on the face 33. It will now be noted that the seating of the stop is made possible both by means of the depth and compressive resiliency of the valve gasket and by the inherent torsional resiliency of the'material of which the shaft is comprised, the latter being preferably of such size as to provide such resiliency, and thereby assist in holding the valve plate seated to provide a sealed joint when the stop is seated- 7 e Release ofthe' valve is accomplished by bearing down on the foot pedal lever to unseat the stop and thereby permit the rod to fall or be pulled forwarchwhereupon release of the lever permits the opening of the valve.

To provide for adjustment which may be necesary on account of variation in the gas ketgthic-kness or in the torsional resilience of the shaft, the rod 26 ishere shown connected to the lever arm 24% by means of its threaded engagement witha clevis 3d of usual form which is pivotally secured tothe arm by means of a pin 36, a lock nut 37 being utilized to the rod in-adjustedrelation to the clevis.

In this manner, the various lever. arms may beleftinfset position on the shaft, and the necessary adjustment is arranged to be effected entirely at the operating lever, it being noted that such lever is preferably dis posed to be readily accessible, as at the end of thetank as here shown, so that control er the valve positioning is arranged to be effected at a point spaced from the valve and more accessible than is the valve. V I

7 With theconstruction now described, an angular displacen ent of the valve from its seated position of as much as 90 degrees may 'videdis extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and that it may be as readily appl ed to other types ofwasher tanks than that here shown.

' Iclaim: I V v In a "washing machine tank having a drainport, a hingedly mounted member arranged to be swung to provide a closure for said port, means pedally operative to effect the positioning of said member to close said port, and releasable means rendered operable by and upon the disposal of the member; in port-closing position to hold the latter member in said latter position. I s

2. In a washing machine tank having a drain port, a drain valve mechanism comprising a rotatable shaft, a normallyinoper atively disposed closure member 'for said port carried by saidshaft, means operable to effect the rotation of said shaft to position said member to close said port, and releasable means rendered operable by said first means to prevent the rotation of said shaft when said member is disposed to close said port.

3. In a washing machinetank having a vertically directed drain port, a normallyinoperatively disposed closure member for said port, a horizontally disposed shaft arranged upon the appropriate rotative positioning thereof to operatively dispose said member to close said port, an arm fixed to and extending from said shaft, :1 rod pivotally fixed to said arm and extending upwardly and forwardly of the pivot point thereof, means providing a guideway for said rod permitting limited movement thereof in the plane of movement of said arm, and through which said arm is arranged to be substantially longitudinally projected through said guideway during the movement of said member to close said port, meanson said rod and guide means releasably engageable to prevent the retractive movement of said rod through said guideway when said member is in fully operative position.

4. In a washing machine tank having a drain valve, a horizontally disposed shaft arranged upon the proper rotative p0sition-' ing thereof to effect a closure of said valve, a rod fixedly associatedwith said shaft and arranged to be longitudinally reciprocated upon the rotation of said shaft, a member providing a guideway for said rod, and cooperating means on said rod and member means manually engageable to prevent the retractive movement of said rod through said guideway when said member is in fully operative position.

5. In a washing -machine tank provided with a drain port having a valve seat at the outer extremity thereof, a closure member arranged to resiliently engage said seat from without said tank, releasable means arran ed to hold said member seated, and adjusting means associated with said latter means whereby the seating pressure of said member may be Varied.

6. In a washing machine tank having a drain valve arranged for a resilient closure thereof, a shaft arranged upon the proper rotative positioning thereof to effect a do sure of said valve, a rod independent of said valve fixedly associated with said shaft and arranged to be longitudinally, reciprocated upon-the rotative oscillation of said shaft,

and means operative to en age said rod when said valve is closed where y the opening of I said valve will beprevented, said rod comprising threadedly" engaged sections for varying the effective length thereof whereby the closure justed.

I In testimony whereof have hereunto set pressure of said valve maybe ad- 

